Brands are also the sources of promises to customers. They promise relevant differentiated benefits.
Most people associate only one or two attributes with any organization, product or service. Well thought-out branding increases the likelihood that the attributes chosen are relevant, believable, compelling, and are customer benefits that motivate purchase or usage.

Decreased price sensitivity

Increased customer loyalty

Increased bargaining power

Independence from particular product categories

Increased flexibility for future growth (through brand expansion)

Increased ability to hire and retain talent

Increased ability to focus the organization's activities and resources

Increased market share

Increased stock price, shareholder value, or the company value overall. An organization's most important assets are its people and its brand. Elements of a strong brand include:

Intended marketplace position; value proposition and strategy

Brand identity (including logo and tagline)

Marketing communication

Customer interaction (the way your brand interacts with customers at each point of contact).

Brands are personifications of organizations, products, services and experiences—the primary sources of relationships with your customers.

Top management support is crucial.

Your brand's identity must be frequently presented. Consistency is key.

Profound knowledge of your customer is essential. Their needs and wants.

The brand and its products and services must exceed customer expectations.

Brand building begins with awareness.

Relevant differentiation

Evoke emotions and create sensory experiences.

Exhibit admirable human qualities. Your brand should be aligned with your company’s values.

Stand for something.

Engineer constant product and service innovation.

Create a sense of community.

The corporate culture must reinforce the brand positioning.

Create a company aligned with your brand promise

Front line employees are key to a brand's success, your team should believe in your brand.

Consider co-creating your brand with your customers.

Not delivering against the communicated brand promise

Not linking brand planning to the business’ strategic planning process

Decreased product or service quality to try to reduce costs

The brand is gradually undermined by quarter-over-quarter revenue and profit pressures

Limiting the brand to one distribution channel or aligning the brand with a declining channel

Failure to extend the brand into new product categories when the core category is in decline

Completely blurring the brand’s meaning and points of distinction by over-extending your brand into different categories and markets. Stepping too far away from your core business.

Not applying the latest product and service innovations to your flagship brand because it is getting too old and stodgy

Launching sub-brands that inadvertently reposition the parent brand in a negative light

Not keeping up with the industry on product or service innovation

Viewing brand equity management as a communications exercise, but ignoring it in other business processes and points of contact with your customer

Applying branding decisions at the end of the product development process

Confusing brand management with product management

No person or department has responsibility for the brand. Lacking supervision

Treating brand management primarily as “logo and template cops”

Defining your target market too broadly or not understanding your pontential customers

Not really understanding the consumer, his needs, and motivations

Defining your brand too narrowly

Marketing is divided into functional “silos” with no integrating mechanism

No central control of the brand portfolio

No brand identity standards means inconsistent presentation and customer confusion

Focusing too much on product attributes and not enough on benefits in customer communications

Trying to make too many points in your brand communication rather than focusing on the one or two most compelling points of difference

Frequently changing your brand’s positioning and message

Loss of brand equity because of reduced or eliminated brand advertising